Bubbles of various sizes are blown by small children using an apertured wand structure dipped in a water solution comprising soap or another surfactant. A great variety of bubble solution formulations have been suggested to feature special effects in bubble making. There are solutions for making large bubbles, "long lasting" bubbles, deep colored bubbles, split bubbles, self-healing bubbles, multiple bubbles, vanishing bubbles, flaking bubbles, bursting bubbles, high and/or far-flying bubbles, sinking bubbles etc. In general, many anionic, non-ionic or amphoteric aqueous solutions with low surface tension lend themselves to bubble or foam-making when air or other gases are blown into such solutions.
All bubble solutions intended for use as a child's toy must be non-toxic and non-irritating to skin and eyes before they can be marketed. As any child who has tasted a soap bubble can attest, however, no bubble making solution has been proposed which is palatable to the taste. Conventional bubble making solutions are, in fact, singularly distasteful. As a result, though children may be amused while trying to catch bubbles in their mouths, they soon learn that it is often better to simply watch the bubbles pop.